Have a look through the various planning documents in detail.Sometimes, where these things that you can normally just do have been made subject to planning, the documents also say that the planning fee is also zero.

I'd be tempted to just do it and chance it. It's very unlikely anyone will complain, and even more unlikely anyone will try and enforce it if they did, and even if they do, you can get planning permission retrospectively. But that's just me, and I'm no expert.

Or I found out from the wisdom of mumsnet you can go to the local planning office for free pre planning advice. Maybe that would be helpful.

If it's Conservation Area, you can sometimes get grants for work which improves the external appearance of the house. We got one for doing the windows. Check the district/borough council website (look for Conservation Areas in the a-z)

I would ring up and chat to the officers to check whether you need permission or not. But chances are you might well. You sound really clued up (and your new door sounds lovely), but I can see why they would want to have a look to check that what you're putting in is OK. Otherwise people could claim all kinds of things as a 'period' door (there's a shop down the road from me that sells 'antique' doors that are plain knackered and often hideous reproductions).

Article 4 regs are strict, but for a reason. You will benefit from a lovely area as a result.

Thankyou so much everyone. I rang again and asked about everything mentioned.

There's no refund and if it were a house, we wouldn't have to pay - but because it's a flat (maisonette - only we use the front door) it's in the government rules that no otherwise permitted changes are allowed.

So we are stuck with the fee.

He did mention that if we did it anyway and no one reported us, we would be immune to prosecution/intervention after 4 years. That means we can't go for the prior owners for putting in the piece of shit door that's there now!

But I wouldn't want to anyway. Discussed door colours with him and apparently we can't be told in advance which are acceptable, unless we pay for the pre planning advice.

I feel your pain. We had to jump through hoops to get permission to render over the hideous 1960s pebbledash on our house and paint it a nice cream instead of the vile peachy colour the previous owners had chosen.

Meanwhile a few doors up they painted their house bright green (you can actually see it reflected in the surface of the road on a sunny day!) and the council did sweet fa.

No. The whole point is to conserve the buildings in the area because they are so lovely and of such a nice construction and design.

The fact that the government/council sees my putting in an original, beautiful door in keeping with the original design of the building as something I should pay to do would seem to go directly against that.

I can see why they need to police it. Really I can. But to charge people who want to put in something original, to replace something broken and NOT original is really cutting off their nose to spite their face.

I could always leave the non original broken one there which looks unsightly and does nothing for the character of the street but hey - why do that when I could pay several hundred to put in something that improves it?

Oh and they explained that if there was an existing UPVC door there, and I wanted to change it like for like, there would be no fee...it's because my 'new' door is materially different to what is there, ie it contains glazed panels, instead of being dolid wood top and bottom.

I'd query the fee. We had to get full pp to do anything to the exterior of our house because of planning constraints. It was very convoluted but it turned out that they weren't allowed to charge us because we were placed in that position by the council's action.

We had to get full drawings done but the pp was full and granted easily.

I know John. I do understand that. But taking it a step further, and looking at WHY they have to control things, leads me to the conclusion that it is actually in order to protect the character of a building.

And as such, a householder doing things to protect the character of a building shouldn't (imho) be chargeable. But I guess the process of applying to do it will carry a charge as at that stage they don't know what you are going to propose.

They seem to make exceptions in other areas so not entirely sure why this situation hasn't been considered.

If you had just gone ahead and done it I doubt you would be prosecuted for a door and 'not knowing'. When you sell in this situation I have found that they either don't ask or require an indemnity policy. What sort of doors do the neighbours have? Does your new door blend with those.

"a householder doing things to protect the character of a building" is going to be subjective so I think it is right that the LA has a say in the matter. I do believe however that they should be given the option to waive a fee in your case though.

I hate to mention this and add to your pain but the new door will be subject to building regulation approval as well...